Revelations
by Sangri Star
Summary: When Yuji and Marlene defeated the Blue, they settled down in a small village hoping that their lives would be peaceful. However, the Blue had other plans and kidnapped their daughter, Yung. ¥
1. Silent Treatment

The Blue were gone from the Earth forever, now they would all be safe and wouldn't have to worry about the Blue attacking anymore. Yuji and Marlene were so happy. There would be a serene place for them after all. Once Yuji and Marlene reunited, they heard about Second Earth being blown up. It had supposedly been a mutiny.  
  
"I wouldn't doubt it," Marlene said. "They were always acting strange up there, like the time they wouldn't let me see you."  
  
"I remember you telling me about it," Yuji said.  
  
"Should we stay here, Yuji?"  
  
"It's a nice village. I'm sure they would let us stay."  
  
Hand in hand, Yuji and Marlene walked down from the cliff to the village. Some people there still gave them cold looks, like they had caused them all pain, and some didn't talk to them. "Hold on," Yuji said.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Telling these people I come in peace."  
  
"I'm not sure that'll help."  
  
"The least I can do is try!"  
  
Yuji got on the largest rock he could find and shouted out, "Please listen to me! I am Yuji Kaido and this is Marlene Angel. You know and dislike us because we were from Second Earth. Well, Second Earth has blown up and we need to settle somewhere. We wish to join your village, and if you could please help us we'd be grateful. We can help you as well..."  
  
He stood silent, looking at the village. No one cared... Defeated, he stepped down from his position. Marlene reached out to him. "It's all right. We can make it through together."  
  
They walked through the village. While passing a small house, an old woman called out, "Come, come here." Yuji and Marlene walked up to the house where the woman stood in her doorway holding a basket of fruit. "I heard you, Yuji's your name?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am, and this is Marlene."  
  
"Pleased to meet you, I am Arisu Nicai. I have room; you can stay here until you can get your own house."  
  
"We're not sure when that might be, because the people in this village don't seem to be fond of us," Marlene said.  
  
"It takes time. Come in, don't worry. You're welcome here for now."  
  
Yuji nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality." 


	2. AntiWar

"You are welcome to make yourself more comfortable. I don't mind," Arisu said. She set the basket of fruit on a table, sat down, and began taking out the fruit inside. Yuji and Marlene just stayed standing. When she noticed them, she smiled and said, "Now dears, it's alright. I don't bite, you know."  
  
Marlene turned to Yuji, "She suggests it, Yuji. We've had a rough journey, it's best we relax."  
  
"I suppose so," he said. They sat down across from Arisu, holding hands under the table.  
  
"So, what brings you here? I know you are from Second Earth, but why did you return to Earth and such?" Arisu said.  
  
Marlene and Yuji told her their story, all of it from the beginning, from the Sleepers to the blowing up of Second Earth.  
  
"How did you survive here, Miss Nicai, with everyone else?" Marlene asked.  
  
"I had a son, and I lived with him and his wife and children. We were all very happy, even though the Blue had never attacked us. We thought we were safe. We were wrong, for one seemingly peaceful day, our old village was invaded by Blue. They killed my son and daughter-in-law, as well as my grandchildren. Our village didn't believe in having weapons to protect us, so most of the village was devastated. The people in the village today are the only survivors and what children that have been born since then. It was horrifying, but we rebuilt our homes and went on with our lives."  
  
"Do you have any weapons?" Yuji asked.  
  
"No, the rest of the village is completely against violence. We don't even have crude man-made spears!"  
  
A look of concern crossed Marlene's face. "So that's why, when we came before with our artillery, the village was angry with us."  
  
Arisu nodded, "Yes, but it wasn't really anger. It was fear. They didn't want bloodshed to come into their peaceful world. You see, we were isolated from everything all the time except for that one Blue attack."  
  
"We won't be able to stay, will we? Everyone's against us." Marlene could feel Yuji's hand grip hers tighter. Arisu stood up and rummaged in a cupboard. She pulled out some potatoes and carrots. Then she set them down on the table. She found a knife, sat down again and began chopping the vegetables up into a pot. She started talking again. "I think that you, with your skills, can help us develop ways of defense. I know the village doesn't want aggression, but that is vital to our village's survival."  
  
"But the Blue are gone!" Yuji cried. "We don't have to worry about them anymore!"  
  
"Yuji," Arisu looked at him. "I wasn't talking about the Blue." 


	3. Little Flower

Yuji understood what Arisu meant. He was silent, but Marlene spoke up. "So you are saying that we can stay?"  
  
Arisu nodded. "I have an extra room, and I'll see what I can do to persuade these people that you two are good, that you'll help us and no harm will come of it. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to begin to cook dinner."  
  
Marlene looked at the clock. "I can't believe we've been talking for hours!"  
  
"Oh, it's fine. It's good to get to know one another."  
  
After they had dinner and discussed some more, Arisu showed them their room and left them to be. Yuji and Marlene were exhausted, so they fell asleep right away. The next morning, Marlene woke up and left Yuji asleep. She found that Arisu had already left. So, Marlene departed the house out into the village square.  
  
There was a stone cross in the middle of the square she had never seen before. She sat before it, but it was so hot, she decided to walk down to the stream. She sat upon a rock and thought for a while. There were children laughing and playing in it, though it was early in the morning. One, a little girl, ran over to her with a yellow flower. Marlene took it and smiled. "Thank you very much," she said. "What's your name?" Shyly, the girl answered, "Emi, what is yours?"  
  
"My name's Marlene. It's very nice to meet you."  
  
"I think your name is pretty, you're very nice too."  
  
Just then, a woman a few yards away was washing clothes. "Emi! Come here right now!" Emi looked at the woman, then back to Marlene. "That's my mom. I have to go now, goodbye!"  
  
"Goodbye..." Marlene called as the little girl ran to her mother, who looked very angry. They talked in low voices, but she could still hear them.  
  
"I made a new friend, mommy! Her name is Marlene..."  
  
"Emi, you cannot be friends with her!"  
  
"Mommy, why not?"  
  
"She's not a very good person; she brings bad things into the village."  
  
"But she seemed like a very nice person to me!"  
  
"Of course she would! But promise me you won't go near her again!"  
  
Tearfully, Emi whispered, "Yes, ma'am."  
  
Marlene was angry overhearing this conversation. "She doesn't understand me, she doesn't know me. How can she say I'm a cruel person? I've never done anything to her!" She thought.  
  
All of a sudden, Marlene felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped, turning around. It was Yuji. He smiled, "Good, I finally found you. I was a little worried about where you might have gone." He embraced her, but he saw the look upon her face. "Is there something wrong?" He asked. It was then that Marlene told him about Emi and her mother.  
  
"It takes a while to get used to things, love. Everyone in this village will accept us sooner or later."  
  
"You're right, but these people don't know us. They have no right to judge us like that!"  
  
"I know, Marlene. I know." 


	4. Heart and Soul

Yuji and Marlene sat by the stream most of the day, talking about many things. Sometimes they just held each other, thinking about what they were to do. The sun was going down behind the hills when they decided to go back to the house.  
  
When they walked in, Arisu was already cooking dinner. Marlene noticed that time moved very quickly in this civilization, or seemed to move very quickly. "Ah, it's so nice to see you, my children. I'm making stir-fry with fresh vegetables tonight. It should be delicious. How have you been?"  
  
Yuji sighed, "Not exciting, we just sat by the stream."  
  
"Oh, did you meet any of the locals?"  
  
Marlene rested her head in her hands. "One."  
  
"One? Who was it?"  
  
"A little girl. Her name was Emi. She gave me a flower." She showed Arisu the flower, which had been in her hand all day.  
  
"Here," Arisu said, and she took a glass out of the cupboard and poured some water in it. "Put the flower in here, it will look nice." Marlene placed the flower in the glass and thought of Emi's kindness.  
  
Arisu broke the silence, which was present again. "Emi... I think, yes, I know her. She's such a sweet little girl. I know her mother, Hitomi."  
  
"Hitomi?" Yuji asked.  
  
"Yes, she gave birth to Emi, and then the Blue attacked our village, like I told you the other day. Her husband was killed, and she was forced to take care of Emi by herself. She's still grieving."  
  
"How long ago was that attack?"  
  
"Seven years. No one has been the same since."  
  
"That's so depressing," Marlene said. "I feel so sorry for her."  
  
"Yes, but never tell her that! Hitomi doesn't like pity."  
  
"Oh... well, I wish I could do something..."  
  
"Don't we all?"  
  
"I suppose so," Yuji leaned on Marlene. "But these people in town are so uptight with us here. They think we are monsters."  
  
Arisu dropped a plate; the sound was so disturbing as it shattered. She looked at Yuji with cold, cold eyes. "We are all monsters, deep inside." Then, she took down three bowls and filled them with stir-fry. She set a bowl down at each of their places and then handed each of them some utensils. She smiled. "Now, go on, it's all right. Eat, eat!"  
  
And so, they ate. Marlene was wondering what she could do to help the village. If only they could see that they weren't a threat. After dinner, there was a knock on the door. Arisu answered it, but neither Yuji nor Marlene could see who it was. Arisu took her cloak and wrapped it around her.  
  
"Where are you going?" Yuji asked.  
  
"It's nothing to worry about. You two stay here; I'll be back as soon as I can." She opened the door and left. Marlene could see a faint glow behind the curtains, probably from a candle. Then the glow was gone, along with Arisu and the villager who had come.  
  
Marlene held Yuji's hand. "That's a little strange," He said.  
  
"Yes, I know. I think we have a right to know what's going on."  
  
"Well, maybe it isn't our business."  
  
They went back into the kitchen, still debating on whether they should eavesdrop or not. They poured some coffee for themselves. Arisu appeared roughly fifteen minutes later, cheeks pink from the cold. She set her cloak up, and poured some coffee to drink as well.  
  
"I had to deliver a baby boy to Datchi and his wife. It was a quick birth, but stressful on Mayama. She has such a tiny figure!" Yuji and Marlene were slightly confused. Arisu sighed, "Oh, I didn't tell you! I deliver the children in this village, I have for many years."  
  
Yuji looked at Marlene, then back at Arisu. "That's interesting. You see, we forgot to tell you, but Marlene is pregnant. We just found that out a week or so ago."  
  
"Really? Well that's just great! I think you two will be very good parents."  
  
"And we hope that our family will bloom beautiful in this village," Marlene said.  
  
Yuji nodded. "That is, if the village can accept us."  
  
Arisu beamed. "I'm sure that everyone will be glad to. I'll talk to Reichen, our leader - well, sort-of leader - and he will help us. Now, it's getting late. I'm going to turn in, and I will see you in the morning."  
  
In unison, Yuji and Marlene said, "Good night." 


	5. Reichen

The next day, Arisu visited Reichen. He had mixed feelings about her visit, she felt.  
  
"I see you've been harboring those two people from Second Earth."  
  
"Yes, I have. And I am here because of them."  
  
"Are they causing you trouble?"  
  
"No, not at all. But you and everyone else are."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Everyone is shunning them, like they carry a plague, and all Yuji and Marlene want is to have some society to live in!"  
  
"Yuji and Marlene?"  
  
"Those are their names. I know them only because I was kind enough to let them into my home. They have no where to go, and would like to live here."  
  
"Those people will just disrupt our lives with violence. They cannot stay. It is bad enough they have been here three days! Hitomi came to me the other day, telling me one of them was talking to her daughter, Emi."  
  
"There is nothing wrong with that!"  
  
"Please, Reichen. They are begging for acceptance into our community. They can help us!"  
  
"Why can't they go back to Second Earth?"  
  
"Second Earth is no more! It was taken over, mutiny. All was destroyed."  
  
"Very well then, Arisu, but you are responsible for them."  
  
"I understand, but you must talk to the others. They need to help Yuji and Marlene; we all need to be one family."  
  
"I will do that. I'll call a meeting this evening, but you don't have to attend at all."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Anything else, Arisu?"  
  
"No, nothing else for today."  
  
With that, Arisu walked out of Reichen's house, feeling that she had given some new life to Yuji and Marlene. 


	6. Building on a Strong Foundation

Arisu was still beaming when she got home, and she told Yuji and Marlene what Reichen said.  
  
"You won't be disappointed," Yuji said. "We'll do as much as we can."  
  
"But remember," Arisu poured a glass of water. "I am responsible for you."  
  
"We know, there won't be any trouble."  
  
The next day, Arisu introduced Yuji to Arata, Goro, and Hachiro, three men in the village. Yuji told them that he needed a house built for him. After a while, they agreed that they would help him build his house.  
  
While the men were talking, Arisu took Marlene to meet with some of the women of the village. "Now ladies," she began. "This is Marlene. She's new to this village." She turned to Marlene. "This is Miki, Jele, and Faith. I think you already know Hitomi."  
  
"A little, yes," Marlene nodded. "Hello, it's nice to meet you." The other women acknowledged her.  
  
"Well," Arisu whispered. "I'm going to let you stay and get to know each other. You can come home when you want to, but not too late."  
  
Marlene sat down. Jele started talking, "So, Marlene, where do you come from?"  
  
"Well, I was on Second Earth until I had to come down here to get rid of some of the Blue. Now they're gone, but Second Earth was destroyed. We have nowhere else to go, so we came here."  
  
"We? You mean there's someone else with you?" Miki was interested to know.  
  
"Yes, a man, his name is Yuji. He's with some other men in the village right now. They're going to help build our house."  
  
"I'm going to get some lemonade. Does anyone else want some?" Hitomi asked. They all nodded, and she went into the kitchen.  
  
"I'm sorry about what happened to Second Earth and how we treated you. I'm not sure why we didn't help you. We're all humans," Faith turned to Marlene. "We're all in this world together."  
  
"It's all right. You didn't know. Besides, maybe the destruction of Second Earth was for the best."  
  
Hitomi returned with the lemonade, and everyone enjoyed it. She met eyes with Marlene. "I'm also very sorry. I didn't know you weren't a threat, before, and I'm really protective of Emi."  
  
"I can tell. She's a lovely child."  
  
"Yes, and she's all I have."  
  
So the women conversed all afternoon, and Marlene mentioned she was carrying a child. Miki came up with an idea. "How about, since you won't be able to move around a lot when you're pregnant, you can watch our children while we work?" Jele, Faith, and Hitomi agreed. "You're great with children, I saw that with Emi. It's a great idea," Hitomi grasped Marlene's hand. "Will you do it?"  
  
Marlene smiled. "All right, I'll do it." She looked at her watch. 6:00 PM. "Oh! I must get home, it's time for dinner."  
  
And so, Marlene said her goodbyes to Faith, Miki, Hitomi and Jele, and went home. Yuji and Arisu were waiting for her. "It's almost ready," Arisu said. Yuji hugged Marlene. "We start building our house tomorrow! Can you believe it?"  
  
"That's great!" Marlene held on to Yuji. "I talked to some of the women, and they think I could watch their children while I'm pregnant."  
  
Yuji smiled. "It seems like this is finally becoming our home."  
  
Yuji woke up and met Hachiro, Goro, and Arata by the land where the house was going to be built. They had drawn up the blueprints the night before, so all they needed to do was get their materials. They spent hours cutting and measuring trees for lumber. They had a few other men helping, and they'd take short breaks. They finally stopped working at dinnertime, and then they would gather around a campfire, eating and telling jokes and stories.  
  
It took them a week to finish the house. It was small, but just right for Yuji and Marlene. They were so very happy to move in and out of Arisu's house. It was hard to get used to everything and to obtain everything they needed. Everyone in the village helped them settle in. Marlene grew bigger and bigger with the new baby, and all was well. 


	7. Water Origin

One day, Marlene was watching some of the children by the stream. Emi was making crowns of flowers with two smaller girls named Sina and Lila. Some of the boys, Yoshiro, Takumi, Susumu, and Ryota, were playing catch. Marlene was just enjoying the day. It had been nine months; she'd be due any day. Then, she heard a splash, and then a scream from one of the girls, Izumi. She had fallen into the brook, and the current was dragging her downstream.  
  
"Help! Help!" She cried. Marlene had to save her, but it was hard for her to move so fast. She began to run as fast as she could and climbing over rocks, but Izumi was carried too fast downstream.  
  
Yuji was going to come down to the creek to visit Marlene and bring her and the children a picnic lunch. He saw Izumi in the water, and Marlene running after her. "Marlene isn't going to get to her in time!" He thought, and dropped the lunch basket. Its contents spilled all over the rocks.  
  
He sprinted down to the bank and jumped into the rushing water. He grabbed Izumi in his strong arms, and she held onto him. She was so dreadfully frightened, but he assured her that he would take care of her.  
  
He swam with her to land, and ran, carrying her to her home. He knocked on the door, and her mother, Organa answered. Yuji set her down on the bed and told her what happened, and Organa thanked him. He told her that he was going to get Dr. Vim to look after Izumi's health. And so, he ran to Dr. Vim's house and told him what happened. Dr. Vim grabbed his instruments and rushed off to Organa's house.  
  
Yuji was concerned about Marlene, so he went back down to the bank, still soaking wet. She was holding Sina in one arm and Lila by the hand. She looked so worn out, but so did Yuji.  
  
"How is Izumi? Will she be all right?" She asked.  
  
"She'll be fine; I have Dr. Vim looking at her now. Are you okay, honey?"  
  
Marlene sighed, and she sat back down. "Yuji, I think..."  
  
"What? What's a matter?"  
  
"I think it's time!" 


	8. Hallelujah

Marlene was in a panic. "Yuji, it's time! Don't you understand that? Yuji!"  
  
Yuji was panicky too. He couldn't even think until Marlene yelled for him. It was time. He was going to be a father at last. Oh no, he was going to be a father... Just so many thoughts were racing inside his head. Marlene yelled again, "Yuji!"  
  
He passed out. He wasn't supposed to pass out, and when he came around, he felt so embarrassed. He had to stay strong.  
  
Yuji woke up on a cot. He stood up and tried to walk, but he tripped and fell flat on his face. He felt someone helping him up. It was Hachiro. "Man, are you okay? You've been out cold for hours."  
  
"Where's Marlene? Is she okay?"  
  
"Yeah, she's fine. Come in here and look." Hachiro guided him into a hallway and opened a door on the right. Inside was Marlene in a bed, holding a bundle. She looked up at him and smiled. "Yuji! I'm so glad you're alright... we were worried about you after you fainted." She tried to get up, but Arisu stopped her. "Now, honey, you should stay there. You've been through a lot." Hachiro helped Yuji into a chair beside the bed.  
  
"Look at our daughter, Yuji. Isn't she beautiful?" Marlene said as she gave the baby to him. He held the little bundle in his arms although it was a little difficult. Their child had blonde hair, like Marlene, and he agreed, she was beautiful.  
  
"What happened? How long have I been asleep?"  
  
"Well, when my water broke and I told you it was time, you passed out. Luckily, Hachiro's house wasn't far away and he and Arata helped me into his house and called for Arisu. They also brought you in and set you down on a cot. Five hours later, I gave birth to our little girl. That was two hours ago. And you just woke up, and I'm so happy to see that you're better."  
  
"Seven hours! That's how long I was passed out?"  
  
"Yes, we tried to wake you up, but you weren't responding."  
  
Marlene continued talking about how painful the labor was and the baby and everything he had missed while he kept admiring his daughter. She was lovely, so innocent, and so small. He was amazed. He couldn't believe this was his child.  
  
Yuji's voice cracked, "What is her name?"  
  
Marlene looked off into space somewhere. "I just don't know, I was waiting for you to wake up before we named her."  
  
"What do you think we should name her?"  
  
"I don't know, Yuji. What do you think?"  
  
Yuji had vision of a little girl from his past. She had no resemblance of his daughter. She had a dog, he remembered. And she was, like his daughter, so lovely, so innocent, and so small. And now she was gone because of the Blue. He knew he'd never let that happen to another child.  
  
"Let's name her Yung." 


	9. The Prophecy

Someplace dark, someplace not so far away, in a cave deep in the bowels of the Earth, there were creatures. Not just any creatures, they seemed familiar. A glow was cast against the cavern walls. Eggs, thousands of eggs, were emitting this glow. Eggs not yet hatched. Fate knew what would happen if the creatures within these eggs roamed again. And yet, not a single other being knew they still existed. They thought that these creatures had been destroyed.  
  
Unawareness of this was the key to the human's first downfall. This time, extinction would be one of two results, depending on one soul, and one soul only.  
  
The beginning of the final judgment began at a single seed's cracking. 


	10. Pining

"Oh Yuji... it's a beautiful name, but you have to get over the death of that little girl."  
  
"Marlene, I am over it. Why can't we name her Yung?"  
  
"We can, it's just that sometimes I'm still worried about you."  
  
"You don't need to worry about me. All you need to worry about is you and the future of our child." He passed Yung back to Marlene. "Are you going to stay here tonight?"  
  
"Arisu said I should, just for tonight. It's for the best. Are you going to stay?"  
  
"I don't know. Do you want me to stay?"  
  
"You don't have to, honey. Just go home and rest."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow morning, then." He leaned over and kissed Yung on the forehead and kissed Marlene. "I love you," he said.  
  
"I love you too," she smiled. "Take care."  
  
"Good night." He turned and walked out the door and headed home.  
  
The walk only took a few minutes, and Yuji was home. He was just so amazed at the past events. And now, he was starting a family with Marlene. Life was so wonderful.  
  
Yuji shut the door and locked it, then lied down on his bed that he shared with Marlene. He could not help this feeling of emptiness. He longed for Marlene. This was one of the first nights where they weren't together. "Tonight, I can do this. I can sleep without Marlene..." He closed his eyes and his last thought before falling asleep was Marlene. 


	11. Night Invasion

The village was a joyful place, full of love and peace. Marlene and Yuji were very happy to see their daughter Yung growing bigger and more aware of the world around her every day. She looked so much like her mother, too. Her eyes shone like the water babbling over the rocks in the stream.  
  
But while Yung was growing, the creatures in the cave at the bottom of the earth were growing too.  
  
One starry night, the creatures decided it was time to resurface. Silently, they crawled out of their cavern onto the upper land. They crept towards the village, which was mostly dark except for a few tiny lights. All the humans were sleeping, it would be perfect. They detected that what they were searching for was inside one of the houses. It was very fragile, so they had to be careful with it.  
  
A single creature that was designated as the leader went into the house that gave the strongest sense of their object. It was easy to get inside – the doors weren't locked at all. The creature found that it was very difficult to get around without making noise due to its size. Eventually, it made it into the bedroom. There was a large bed in the room, and it had two people, a man and a woman, lying on it. The creature recognized the man. It had heard stories about him from the elders. That man was a half-blood. He had the chance to help destroy all the humans, but he didn't.  
  
Sleeping between the two people was what the creatures had been looking for. The leader didn't know how it would get the object out without causing a stir. It extended a leg out and reached between the two people. It grasped the object and carefully picked it up. It took a blanket and wrapped it around the object.  
  
Heroic praise was already ringing in the creature's head, and as it snuck out of the room with its prize, it forgot about a glass vase holding flowers. It bumped into the vase and it shattered on the floor. The woman in the bed sat up and screamed, waking the man. He reached up and grabbed a metal pole and flicked on the light. His face turned pale with horror, but he still tried to stay calm. The object in the creature's possession began to cry.  
  
"What are you doing here?" The man yelled. "Your kind is supposed to be dead! Dead! I killed you all!"  
  
The creature did not reply. It had to get out of there quickly, and they were ordered not to kill anyone. It knew it could kill the man in an instant, for the metal rod did not frighten him. It backed up out of the room slowly and made it out of the house. The man chased after it, shouting. But the creature knocked him onto the floor.  
  
Outside, the creature signaled to its group that it must retreat quickly. They scurried away with their trophy into the earthen place where they had come from. Their mission was complete. 


	12. Second Account

Yuji and Marlene were sleeping soundly with Yung between them. It was a serene atmosphere until the shattering of glass broke through Marlene's mind. Her eyes flew open and she sat up. She discovered that Yung was no longer between her and Yuji, and that a Blue was in the room. She thought they had all disappeared, she had hoped so. She knew that the Blue had her daughter, and that they were all in danger. Marlene was so terrified of what would happen. She screamed, "Yuji! Yuji wake up!"  
  
Yuji heard Marlene's shriek. It pierced through the air. Immediately he rose. He saw a familiar creature in the faint light, a Blue. He wondered why it had come back. How it could have come back. He panicked in his mind. They had given up all their weapons to stay in the village. He hated to do it, but he had to respect the other villagers' way of life. Yuji jumped up and tore the curtain rod from the wall. It was the closest thing to a weapon. He flipped on the light so he could see the Blue better.  
  
To his shock, the Blue was clutching his daughter Yung, his only daughter, his pride and joy. The Blue handled her so gently and carefully. Yuji sensed that as strange, thinking that the Blue could kill her in a second. The Blue could kill all of them. The monster backed out of the room, as if trying to escape. It didn't act seem like it feared Yuji, but could it?  
  
Yuji knew he had to rescue his daughter, though. He chased the Blue, shouting at it. But it just brushed him aside so easily. He tried to get up, but he was too late. The Blue had disappeared, and so had Yung.  
  
Marlene rushed out of the bedroom and helped him up. She knew it when she looked at him, that the one thing they had never even thought of would happen, just happened. Yuji held her in his arms as they both cried. He then turned to her and said, "I'm going to notify the rest of the village. We can try searching for her; we can try to get her back. That's all we can do." She nodded weakly.  
  
Yuji ran out of the house to Arisu's house. He banged his fist on the door. "Arisu! It's Yuji! There's been... something terrible has happened! I need to tell you, it's urgent!" The door flew open, and Arisu stood there looking slightly annoyed, slightly confused. "What is it, dear, what is it?" she said.  
  
"It came back... the Blue!"  
  
"Is that possible?"  
  
"I saw it with my own eyes! They kidnapped Yung!"  
  
Her expression changed to dread. "Go tell the others, tell them to meet in the main square. I offer much sympathy, my dear."  
  
"Yung is alive, though. They haven't hurt her for as much as I know. I think we can get her back."  
  
"It's a very small chance. Those Blue are deadly creatures. Now go! Hurry!"  
  
He ran off, going from house to house, knocking on each door. He explained what had happened, and in less than an hour, every member of the village was in the square, sleepy-eyed and in nightclothes had gathered. Reichen began the impromptu meeting.  
  
"It is very unfortunate to hear that this has happened to such fine people, and that a young, innocent, child has been taken away. But this is to remind us of the horrible world outside -"  
  
Yuji interrupted him. "There is something we can do to protect ourselves against it, though."  
  
"And how would that be?"  
  
"Arm ourselves. Get weapons."  
  
"Yuji, we refrain from possessing weapons because it will disrupt this nonviolent community."  
  
"It won't matter, Reichen. We will be exposed to violence whether it is in our own community or not."  
  
"I still refuse to have us armed."  
  
Yuji sighed in defeat. Another man spoke up. "He's right though, Reichen. Just think of the last attack." A wave of silence spread amongst them as the villagers remembered loved ones they had lost. Reichen replied. "I know that attack hurt all of us, but my decision is made. We will not arm ourselves. I do advise we take action and attempt to find the missing child. Now go back to your homes. Men, get dressed and come back here. The search will begin at dawn." 


	13. One of Them

The men of the village gathered and at sunrise they set off to find Yung. The first day, they didn't succeed, nor did they succeed for several days after that. After searching for almost two months, they finally decided to give up hope that they would ever find her. Yuji and Marlene grieved in their home, and people would pass by, giving words of sympathy.

Yuji and Marlene were devastated. They missed their child terribly. After a while, they decided to have another child. It was a boy this time, and they named him Kai. They all lived happily, but the pain of losing Yung remained within them.

Yung grew into a pretty girl, and then a woman. The Blue had become her family. She had forgotten her real parents, everything that had been part of her before her abduction. She didn't even remember being abducted. She rarely wondered about where she really came from. Yung learned her own way to communicate with the Blue, and they taught her everything she knew. But all she knew was how to find food take care of young Blue, and fight. By human standards, she'd be one of the best warriors ever.

This took years to happen, and in those years Reichen had died and someone else had become the headman of the village, although weapons were still banned. Arisu, the sort-of mother of the village, had sadly passed on as well.

Yuji and Marlene took an active participation in the community. Yuji became a builder, and Marlene helped teach at the small schoolhouse. They supported the village, and the village supported them.

Also, Kai grew to become a fine young man. He was adored by all the girls of the village and was one of the most trustworthy and helpful people. He never knew about his sister Yung, though, because Yuji and Marlene did not want to tell him and no one in the village spoke about it, unless it was in hushed voices.

Everyone was so content, both the villagers and the Blue. Life was wonderful. Except that when Yung was seventeen years old, she began to realize something. There wasn't something quite right about living with the Blue. She wondered why she didn't look like them, why she was pale, skinny, made of flesh and bone, and they were hard-shelled and had many legs. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, but they didn't even resemble something like that. The young Blue she had befriended began to shun her. Had they realized the same; that they could not remain friends this way? The elder Blue still trusted in her, though, and they said that she was just a special type of Blue.


	14. Stained with Sin

Then came the day when Yung was approached by the head Blue. In the way they communicated, it told her that they were going to go on a special trek that night, and they needed to bring her along. She said that she would be honored to go, for she never went anywhere outside the vicinity where the Blue lived.

When the time came, Yung placed on her armor and strapped her sword to her. She then followed the pack of Blue in the darkness. After a long bit of walking, the Blue leading stopped, and all of them stopped. She made her way to the front.

Looking over a small cliff, Yung saw a village below. It was night, so there was no light coming from the windows and there was no one outside their homes. She turned to the head Blue and it said that they were going to go down on a path and make a sneak attack on the village. She was to creep into a small house near the middle of the village alone and slaughter the occupants. She said she would.

Swiftly, as the Blue walked down the path, Yung slid down the slope. She crept towards the entrance to the house. She found that the door was not locked, so it made everything a lot easier for her. She unsheathed her sword and walked silently into the house. She surveyed the rooms, and in the first bedroom there were two boys sleeping deeply in their beds. She took her sword and approached the first boy. She slashed his throat with a minimal amount of effort, and no sound. She then approached the second boy and did the same. She went to the other bedroom where a man and woman were sleeping. She slit the man's throat and moved on to the woman, but the woman woke up and saw her. The woman began screaming, but Yung cut her throat as well. Everyone in the house was dead, and she ran out. She could hear the assorted cries of villagers being killed, and she went to another house and killed the people living in there.

The head Blue gave a signal to Yung and the rest of the Blue that it was time to leave. Yung was hurrying to catch up with the group going up the path when a boy only a few years younger than her shouted to her, "What is the matter with you? Why would you do this?" She drew her sword again and walked up to him. He backed up. She said nothing, for she did not know how to speak his language.

The boy said, "Don't do this. You're one of us." He picked up a stone and threw it at her. She knocked it away with her sword. He kept throwing more and more stones at her. One hit her in the head, and she stopped and winced in pain. The wound began to bleed heavily. Yung did not give up, though. She weakly swung her sword, though she was losing her energy. The boy grabbed her wrist.

"You... you monster. I can't believe you'd do this to us."

She pulled away and growled at him. She brought her sword up, and the boy had fear in his eyes. "NO! Don't do it! Please, I beg you!" But she didn't listen and she stabbed the sword into his crest. His blood spattered on her, and she withdrew her sword. The boy's face was contorted in a horrified stare, and his body dropped to the ground. Blood dripped off her sword.

Yung turned to follow the Blue but out of the corner of her eye she could see a couple watching out their doorway. The man said, "Put your sword down." She didn't understand what he was saying, but his expression enough told her what to do. She did not obey him. He walked up to her despite the fact she was still armed. The woman walked up to the body of the boy and began crying and calling out his name. The man studied Yung's face, speckled with blood. He said, "Marlene, come here now. There's something you have to see." The woman, still mourning, walked up to where her husband stood and stared at Yung's face. She gasped.

"Blonde hair and blue eyes, just like yours..." he whispered.

The woman shook her head. "It can't be. She died a long time ago."

"We don't know that... we just never found her."

Yung did not want to bother with the couple anymore. She turned and walked away. The man grasped her shoulder. He said, "Don't leave. I want some answers. You must be who we think you are. Yung? Is that you?"

Yung swung out with her sword and the blow struck the man in the abdomen. He fell to the ground, bleeding profusely and gasping for breath. She took that moment to kill the woman as well. The man remained alive. She was going to let him suffer. As she tried to walk away one last time, he cried out, "What have you done? The blood of your own species, spilled upon your skin... and for what price?"

She knew her way back to the cave, but on her way, she stopped beside a small pond. She looked at her reflection in the water. The blood was still on her face. She took her sword and tried to clean the blood away. She got most of it off, but some of it had stained her sword. Then she scooped some water into her hands and tried to wash the blood off her face, but the blood had stained her skin a bit as well. No matter how hard she tried, she still smelled the blood. She wished she could have understood what the villagers had said. The man and woman seemed to have had quite an interest in her.

But that was done, now. It was all done.


End file.
